What the Riff Next Gen

It may not be surprising that the self-titled debut album from Foreigner was a hit, since all the members had previously worked with successful acts, making this collaboration a bit of a supergroup.  British guitarist and songwriter Mick Jones came from Spooky Tooth.  Multi-instrumentalist and fellow Brit Ian McDonalds had played in King Crimson.  They were joined by another Englishman, drummer  Dennis Elliott (from Ferris Wheel and The Roy Young Band).  Other members were American, including Al Greenwood on keyboards, Ed Gagliardi on bass, and Lou Gramm on vocals.  The band had the name Trigger for their demo tapes, but swapped that name out when they found another band had already taken it.  The name Foreigner was suggested by Mick Jones, because with three English members and three American members, at least half the band would be foreigners — wherever they played.
The debut album Foreigner would create three hit singles and would be certified 5x platinum in the US, the first of four albums (this one, Double Vision, Head Games, and 4) from the group to achieve such a high level of success.
Foreigner would prove to be one of the biggest bands of the late 70's through the 80's.  
Lou Gramm would split from the group in the 1990, return in 1992, and leave again in 2003.  Foreigner still tours today, but Mick Jones is the sole original member of the group.
 
Feels Like the First Time
The leading track and first single released would be the first hit by the group, reaching number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Mick Jones wrote this track prior to the start of Foreigner, when he had met a new love after this previous marriage dissolved.  It was a feeling that his life was entering a new phase.
 I Need You
This song concludes the album and is a deeper cut with great bass licks and chord progressions.  "Many is the time I've cursed the Lord's creations.  Ah, but you touched my hand, I loved this new sensation."
Starrider
Another deeper cut with more prominent keyboards, this one features Mick Jones on lead vocals.  The song reminds us of "Crystal Ball" by Styx.  You might agree it has a medieval or fantasy feel.  
Long, Long Way from Home
The third single from the album gives the perspective of a person moving from a small town to a large city, and the loneliness that results.   Lou Gramm has said this song is autobiographical, reflecting his move from Rochester, New York to New York City.  "I was inside looking outside.  Oh, the millions of faces, but still I'm alone."
 
ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:
Theme from the television series “Eight Is Enough”
The family drama starring Dick Van Patten would debut in March of 1977.  It was about a single father raising eight kids.
 
STAFF PICKS:
Year of the Cat by Al Stewart
Brian opens our staff picks with a haunting tune.  The song originated from a riff piano player Tim Renwick would play before concerts.  Many of the lyrics were inspired from watching the movie Casablanca.  The title comes from a Vietnamese calendar which indicated that 1975 was the Year of the Cat.
Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes by Jimmy Buffett
Wayne brings us one of the standard songs of summer.  The song itself barely cracked the top 40, but has taken on a timelessness with more than just the "Parrot Heads" that attend multiple Buffett concerts.  "With all of our running and all of our cunning, if we couldn't laugh we would all go insane."
Georgia Rhythm by the Atlanta Rhythm Section
Bruce features a local Atlanta band who was big in 1977.  The Atlanta Rhythm Section was formed from former members of the Candymen and the Classics IV who had come to Atlanta as the session band for Studio One in Doraville in 1970.  This song is off their sixth studio album, and the first album to get significant airplay.  The big hit was "So Into You," but "Georgia Rhythm" got a lot of airplay in Atlanta for obvious reasons.
Maybe I'm Amazed (live) by Paul McCartney & Wings
Rob  wraps up the staff picks with a song originally recorded in 1970 for McCartney’s first album, but never released as a single.  This live version was released in February 1977. This touching song was inspired by his romance with his wife, Linda.  
 
INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:
Fanfare for the Common Man by Emerson, Lake & Palmer
This was originally written by Aaron Copeland in response to America's entry into the Second World War.  The ELP version came about when Emerson was playing the piece on keyboards.  Greg Lake came in with a shuffle pattern on bass, and Palmer added in the drums.  The engineer was rolling tape and the first time the band played the song through is what made the album.
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**NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rights to any of these songs and we neither sell, nor profit from them. We share them so you can learn about them and purchase them for your own collections.

Leftoverture is the fourth and most commercially successful studio album by Kansas.  Formed out of a complex merger between a band called Saratoga and a prog rock outfit called White Clover, Kansas takes its name from the band's state of origin, as their start was in Topeka.  The band consisted of Steve Walsh (keyboards, vibraphone, vocals), Kerry Livgren (electric guitar and keyboards), Robby Steinhardt (violin, viola, vocals), Rich Williams (electric and acoustic guitars), Dave Hope (bass), and Phil Ehart (drums).
Kansas had achieved some success with their first three albums, but had failed to have a hit single.  As the record company began applying pressure to the band to secure a hit, Steve Walsh began to experience writers block.  Much of the songwriting for Leftoverture fell to guitarist Kerry Livgren, who wrote or co-wrote all the songs on the album.  On the last rehearsal day, he contributed one more song, "Carry On Wayward Son," which would become the groups first hit.
The album itself continues a progressive streak established by prior albums through pieces like the multi-part, 8+ minute closing track, "Magnum Opus," but brings a more accessible commercial appeal through songs like "The Wall" and "Carry On Wayward Son."  This album and the follow-up "Point of Know Return" would push Kansas into national prominence for arena tours and on the Album-Oriented Rock scene.
Creative differences would eventually drive several members to split from the group in the 80's, but the band would reform by 1985 and continues to tour as of 2021.
 
 
Carry On Wayward Son
The  hook-laden opening track features Kerry Livgren on lead vocals.  Livgren wrote the track and considered this song a continuation of the song "The Pinnacle" from their previous album.  
The Wall
Not released as a single, this introspective track is a deep cut both from a commercial and spiritual standpoint.  Livgren was in the process of becoming a Christian at the time, and while not written with an overtly Christian message you sense the searching nature regardless.
What's On My Mind
This jam features violinist Robby Steinhardt on vocals, and has a theme of a break-up.  The singer is recounting the path of the relationship.  "Pardon me, my feelings are showing.  I'm only saying what's on my mind."
Miracles Out of Nowhere
This song has Steinhardt and Livgren swapping off on lyrics.  There is a mystical, fantasy feel that hearkens to their prog-rock roots.  "Here I am, I'm sure to see a sign.  All my life, I knew that it was mine.  It's always here, it's always there, it's just love and miracles out of nowhere."  And you can't go wrong ending the song with a gong!
 
ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:
Theme from the television series “Charlie's Angels"
"Once upon a time, there were three little girls who went to the police academy."  And Kate Jackson, Jaclyn Smith, and Farrah Fawcett-Majors would grace posters around the US for some time.
 
STAFF PICKS:
Smokin' by Boston
Bruce launches the staff picks with a rocking number never released as a single.  Nevertheless, it is well known from Boston's debut album, as is virtually every track on that masterpiece.  Brad Delp and Tom Scholz co-wrote this song as part of the "Mothers' Milk" demos from 1973.  
Rock 'n' Rollers  by Angel
Wayne's tune is off the eponymously named first album by Angel.  It is a straightforward rock song about attending a rock concert.  Gene Simmons of Kiss discovered the band who dressed all in white.  The Angel logo was made as an ambigram, so it looked the same either right side up or upside down. 
Roxy Roller by Nick Guilder and Time Machine
Rob's glam rock staff pick is from Nick Guilder, better known for "Hot Child in the City."  Four versions of this song came out in 1976, this one and three from three different lead singers of the band Sweeny Todd, one of which was a teenager named Bryan Adams.
Don't Fear the Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult
Brian's pick is famous as the song with more cowbell!  Buck Dharma received a lot of criticism for this song from people who believed it encouraged suicide.  In reality it was about not fearing death - not living because of being anxious about the end of life.  The spirit carries on.
   
INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:
Magnum Opus by Kansas
This double dipping instrumental is the first movement of an 8-minute epic off Leftoverture.  It's subtitle is "Father Padilla Meets the Perfect Gnat."  We'll just leave it there.
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**NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rights to any of these songs and we neither sell, nor profit from them. We share them so you can learn about them and purchase them for your own collections.

New York native Joe Satriani had previously recorded an album in 1986, and ran up some credit card credit card debt in the process.  He paid off the debt from his earnings as a member of the Greg Kihn Band, but stayed on a low budget of $13,000 when he recorded his second and all-instrumental studio album, Surfing with the Alien.  This would be a break-out album for the guitar virtuoso.
Satriani began playing guitar at age 14 under the inspiration of Jimi Hendrix.  Supposedly he heard of Hendrix's death at football practice, and announced he was quitting the sport to become a guitarist.  Satriani taught guitar to a number of students including Kirk Hammett of Metallica, David Bryson of the Counting Crows, and perhaps most notably fellow Carle Place High School alumni Steve Vai.
This album relied on drum machines rather heavily, with percussionist Jeff Campitelli recording overdubs to flesh out the pieces.  Satriani played on two Kramer Pacer guitars and a Stratocaster guitar for the album, and would change the pickups to get different sounds.  The cover artwork was originally a picture of Marvel Comics' Silver Surfer until the price for renewal grew too hefty in 2018, at which time it was replaced with a silver guitar.
Satriani has been a "hired gun" with a number of groups including Alice Cooper, Blue Oyster Cult, Deep Purple, the Yardbirds, and even Spinal Tap for their 1992 album.  He is also known for his work with the supergroup Chickenfoot, and for founding the G3 tour.
 
Surfing with the Alien
This is the first and title track to the album.  The title popped into Satriani's head when he was thinking about what it would sound like if aliens came to Earth but were just looking for fun rather than global conquest.
Always with Me, Always with You
This is the most popular track off the album.  Joe Satriani wrote it as a love song for his wife, Rubina, and it is an instrumental power ballad.
Circles
If you haven't heard the album as a whole, you likely have not heard this deeper cut.  It has a slow start and finish, with a hard thrashing center.  It will give you a good sense for Satriani's playing style when using a slower tempo.  
Satch Boogie
Satriani composed this hard rocking song after a car accident in 1986 when he was in a neck brace and on pain medication.  Supposedly the concept was about what it would sound like if there was a horn section trying to play with Gene Krupa (the jazz drummer on "Sing, Sing, Sing") while his drum set was falling down a flight of stairs.  This is the only track which uses live percussion.
 
ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:
Sweet Little Sixteen  by Chuck Berry (from the motion picture Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll)
This documentary film featured two of Chuck Berry's 1986 concerts in celebration of his 60th birthday.
 
STAFF PICKS:
It's A Sin by Pet Shop Boys
Rob's synth-heavy staff pick is from the English duo of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, known as the Pet Shop Boys.  The song off their second album covers the struggle of a gay person in a Catholic environment.  It was intended as a campy song, but perhaps had more meaning than the duo intended.
Paper In Fire by John Mellencamp
Brian brings us back to small town USA with a hit off Mellencamp's album Lonesome Jubilee.  The first single released peaked at number 9 in October 1987.  Paper in fire is a reference to Hell from the Bible, taken from the book of Ecclesiastes 7:5-6.  
Big Generator by Yes
All roads lead to Wayne's staff pick, and the title track from the Yes album.  The Big Generator album followed their immensely successful album 90125, and the lyrics from this song reflects the band's take on the pressure the record labels received to continue producing pop hits.  "Praise, oh praise this anthem generator."
I Don't Mind at All by Bourgeois Tagg
Bruce's staff pick is a one-hit wonder from the duet Brent Bourgeois (keyboards, vocals) and Larry Tagg (bass, vocals).  This song is off their second album Yoyo, which was produced by Todd Rundgren.  This is their biggest hit, which peaked at number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100.
 
INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:
Blues For Salvador by Carlos Santana
This instrumental is from another long-running guitar virtuoso who would remain an active force in the rock world for decades.  This is the title track from Carlos Santana's album.
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NOTE: To adjust the loudness of the music or voices, you may adjust the balance on your device. VOICES are stronger in the LEFT channel, and MUSIC is stronger on the RIGHT channel.
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**NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rights to any of these songs and we neither sell, nor profit from them. We share them so you can learn about them and purchase them for your own collections.

Believe it or not, many considered The Who to be a band in decline just before the release of their iconic rock opera Tommy.  Their recent releases hadn't been as popular as expected.  They had a popular stage show, but between Pete Townshend destroying his guitars and/or Keith Moon destroying his drums, the shows were expensive!  The double album Tommy would change the trajectory of the group and make them superstars of the rock genre.
Pete Townshend was looking for something different when he created this rock opera.  He was dissatisfied with the style of rock advanced by The Beatles and The Beach Boys, which was highly produced but not well suiting for live tours.  He had experimented with smaller suites on earlier albums, but Tommy was on a completely different level - a double album telling a cohesive story.  
Tommy tells the story of a boy left deaf, dumb, and blind after his father, Captain Walker, kills his mother's lover.  After many unsuccessful attempts to cure him, he is left neglected and molested by members of his family.  Once he grows older, he finds himself unusually gifted with playing pinball.  A new doctor correctly identifies Tommy's issues as psychosomatic, and he is eventually cured.  He then briefly becomes a leader of a religious movement, using enforced sensory depravation and pinball machines to enlighten his adherents.  His strange practices are soon rejected by his followers.
The album would come out in May of 1969, but its first performance was in April, which is why we are featuring it here.
 
Pinball Wizard
The first single from the album is one of the ban's most famous songs.  It tells of the skills of Tommy Walker from the perspective of a pinball champion "a Bally table king" who declares "that deaf, dumb, and blind kid sure plays a mean pinball!"  Elton John  would perform this song in the 1975 film adaptation of the rock opera.
The Acid Queen
Pete Townshend is on lead vocals for this song.  It chronicles Tommy's experience with a gypsy healer who uses LSD to treat his ailments.  On the album the song leads into the instrumental "Underture," which represents Tommy's hallucination.  Tina Turner plays the Acid Queen in the 1975 film and sings this song.
I'm Free
This song features Roger Daltry on lead vocals, and tells of Tommy's release from blindness and deafness.  It also tells of Tommy's rise to spiritual leader as his popularity skyrockets after his cure.  Townshend was partly inspired by the Rolling Stones' "Street Fighting Man" when he wrote this one.
We're Not Gonna Take It
The followers ultimately reject Tommy in this final track of the album.  It is actually a suite, with movements including "We're Not Gonna Take It,"  and reprises of "See Me, Feel Me," and "Listening to You."   Townshend had originally intended this song to be a critique of politics before it was incorporated into the rock opera.
 
ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:
“The Brother's Theme” (from the television series “The Smothers Brothers”)
The Smothers Brothers comedy show would go off the air in April 1969 after clashes with the CBS network censors over their portraying of the Vietnam War.
 
STAFF PICKS:
The Boxer by Simon & Garfunkel
Bruce's staff pick is the most highly produced of the Simon and Garfunkel songs, taking over 100 hours to record, and recorded at multiple locations.  The lyrics are about a person struggling with life and loneliness in New York City.  The "lie-la-lie" in the chorus was intended to be a placeholder, but became part of the song.
Gimme Gimme Good Lovin' by Crazy Elephant
Rob picked this one out mistakenly thinking it was "Gimme Summa Lovin'," but this one-hit wonder has a good groove.  It is considered psychedelic rock, or garage rock.  Super K Productions put this band together, and several covers were done, including one by Dusty Springfield.
Traces by Classics IV
Brian's staff pick features a laid back tune as his staff pick.  The single came out in January and peaked in April at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.  It is about lost love, and dealing with it as the years go on.  The Classics IV also performed the songs "Stormy" and "Spooky," the latter of which would be covered by the Atlanta Rhythm Section.  
Grazing in the Grass by The Friends of Distinction
Harry Elson wrote the lyrics to what had been a #1 instrumental recorded by Hugh Masekela.  Wayne's staff pick features The Friends of Distinction, discovered by NFL great Jim Brown.  The original members were Floyd Butler, Harry Elston, Jessica Cleaves, and Barbara Jean Love.  They had 3 top 40 hits, and this highest charting one was inspired by seeing cattle in pastures from the tour bus.
INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:
Underture by The Who
This instrumental number from the Tommy double album lets us do a little double dipping on the album feature as we close out the podcast with some observations on Keith Moon.
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NOTE: To adjust the loudness of the music or voices, you may adjust the balance on your device. VOICES are stronger in the LEFT channel, and MUSIC is stronger on the RIGHT channel.
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**NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rights to any of these songs and we neither sell, nor profit from them. We share them so you can learn about them and purchase them for your own collections.

If Bob Seger sounds like he's experienced it all on his breakout album Night Moves, well, he kind of has.  Seger got his start in the music industry in 1961, and this album is his ninth studio album, though the first to credit the Silver Bullet Band on the album cover.  Many of the songs reflect on earlier times, successes and failures of the past, with a wistfulness.  
Detroit native Robert Clark (aka Bob) Seger's music has been described as roots rock and heartland rock, and there are similarities between the blue collar sensibilities of Seger's music and others like Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp.  Segar had his first hit back in 1968 with "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man," but didn't follow up with hit singles afterwards.  He turned to working with backing bands, touring with Eric Clapton and joining with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (who would play on four of the nine songs on Night Moves).  After forming the Silver Bullet Band in 1974 Segar began seeing some interest with singles like "Katmandu" and the release of the album "Live Bullet"  just prior to Night Moves.  However, Night Moves was the one that put him over the top where he would remain for the rest of the 70's and 80's.
Many of the songs have a theme of remembering the past, including the title track.  
Seger completed his "farewell tour" in 2019.  However, we still have an incredible catalogue of music available thanks to Bob Segar.  We hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane.
 
 
Night Moves
Seger says his title track was inspired after watching the 1973 film, “American Graffiti,” and he realized HE had a story to tell about growing up, and an Italian girlfriend he had one summer. “Ain't it strange how the night moves?”  The change in seasons forms a metaphor for growing up - being young in the summertime, and looking back "with autumn closin' in."
Rock and Roll Never Forgets
“So you’re a little bit older and a lot less bolder than you used to be…” Seger wrote this at the ripe old age of 31!  While only making it to number 41, this tribute to Rock & Roll and Chuck Berry has taken on a timelessness as a classic rock song.
Sunburst
We felt that the intro to this beautiful deep track has a similar sound and feel to “Dear Prudence” from the Beatles. There are two clear movements in the music from soft, to rocking, to soft again.  The song discusses an introverted performer on the stage, comparing him to entertainment in the Roman Colosseum.  
Main Street
The second single from the album,  Seger is again sharing a peek into his life growing up in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Anne Street was right off Main Street, and there was the pool hall and dancing girls with R&B bands playing on the weekends. 
 
ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:
Theme from the television series “The Muppet Show”)
This variety show would draw in a number of A-list celebrities for an evening of entertainment with Kermit, Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, and the rest of the Muppets.
 
STAFF PICKS:
Tonight's The Night (Gonna Be Alright) by Rod Stewart
Brian features a seduction song from Rod Stewart, and it was actually banned by the BBC for the line "spread your wings and let me come inside."  Public demand eventually caused the ban to be lifted, and the song went to number 1 on both the UK and the US shortly thereafter.
Jeans On by David Dundas
Wayne brings us a song by British musician and actor David Dundas.  It was first featured as a television advertising jingle for Brutus Jeans, and the popularity of the commercial led to the recording of "Jeans On" as a full length song.  "It's the weekend, and I know that you're free so pull on your jeans and come on out with me."
Nights Are Forever Without You by England Dan and John Ford Coley
Bruce's staff pick is from Texas duo Dan Wayland (aka England Dan) Seals and John Edward (aka John Ford) Coley.  They originally had a hit with "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight," which was written by Parker McGee who also wrote "Nights Are Forever Without You."  Dan Seals would go on to a country career in the 1980's, scoring 11 number one country hits including "Meet Me In Montana."
Blinded By The Light by Manfred Mann's Earth Band
Rob brings us  this hit originally written by Bruce Springsteen, but  finding fame through Manfred Mann’s Earth Band.  Manfred Mann changed the lyrics slightly, and Springsteen has joked about confusion over the lyrics, claiming that “it was not until Manfred Mann rewrote the song to be about a feminine hygiene product that it became popular.”  This version hit number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
 
INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:
Theme to the motion picture Carrie
Nothing like finishing out the podcast on a scary note!  The motion picture "Carrie" was released in November 1976.
Thanks for listening to “What the Riff?!?”
NOTE: To adjust the loudness of the music or voices, you may adjust the balance on your device. VOICES are stronger in the LEFT channel, and MUSIC is stronger on the RIGHT channel.
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**NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rights to any of these songs and we neither sell, nor profit from them. We share them so you can learn about them and purchase them for your own collections.

Despite the fact that Berlin would be considered the standard for early 80's European new wave, the band actually originated in the Los Angeles area.  The band had no actual connections with Berlin, but chose the name to make them seem more European and exotic than their own Orange County.  Pleasure Victim is Berlin's second studio album and the one that was their breakout success.
The group was formed after lead singer Terri Nunn put an advertisement in a musicians magazine that read, “Girl singer looking for a weird rock group.”  The other members of the band for this album were John Crawford (bass, synthesizer, vocals, and primary songwriter), David Diamond (synthesizer, guitar, vocals), Daniel Van Patten (percussion), Chris Ruiz-Velasco (guitar), and Ric Olsen (guitar).  Ron Learned plays drums on the opening track for the album.
Berlin reveled in controversy, being banned on several radio stations for the lyrics from their second single, "Sex (I'm A...)" and reaping the benefits of the publicity that ensued.  Rumors about Nunn's underage appearance in Penthouse also boosted the bands notoriety (the rumors were eventually confirmed).
Terri Nunn had a career as an actress before joining Berlin, and briefly left the group to continue acting.  She auditioned for the part as Princess Leia in "Star Wars" in 1976, losing out to Carrie Fisher for that role.
Berlin was influenced by groups like Fleetwood Mac, Jefferson Airplane and David Bowie, and their synth-driven new wave sound is a time stamped icon of the early 80's.
Pleasure Victim
The synth-driven title track was the first single released from the album.  The song is about a woman who has finally found the person she wants.  “You're the passion in me.  You've broken down the system.  You're the vision I see - a pleasure victim.”
Sex (I'm A...)
This song is the second single released, and the one that really propelled the group's success.  Although many radio stations banned the song, it was a staple of dance clubs everywhere.  The song describes a variety of sexual role-playing the woman undertakes.  Crawford and Nunn sing this as a duet.
Masquerade
This track is a deeper cut, but still gets some airplay on 80's oriented radio.  You really get a sense of Terri Nunn's vocal quality in this tune.  The song itself tells of the travails of the singers and bands trying to make it in the music industry.
The Metro
The third single from the album was a big hit on both radio and MTV.  John Crawford wrote this song about a reverie on a Paris metro after a breakup.  
 
ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:
“Ain't Nobody's Business” by B.B. King (from the motion picture “The King of Comedy”)
This movie was a satirical comedy, but was a flop.  However, it produced a great blues cover from King.
 
STAFF PICKS:
Dirty Laundry by Don Henley
Brian's staff pick features former Eagles drummer and vocalist Don Henley on his debut solo album after the Eagles had broken up (or as we would learn in the 90's, took a 14-year vacation).  It is a scathing indictment of the media.  “Well, I could've been an actor, but I wound up here.  I just have to look good, I  don't have to be clear.  Come and whisper in my ear.  We love dirty laundry.”
Der Kommisar by After the Fire
Rob brings us a cover of a song originally recorded by Falco in German.  After the Fire was started by Yes keyboardist Peter Banks, and evolved from a prog rock band to a new wave outfit.  The song lyrics have a spy theme, chronicling a couple trying to avoid the police.  The repeating German line translates to “Everything OK, Officer?” This single US hit became a hit after the band had disbanded.
What About Me by Moving Pictures
Bruce's staff pick features a group popular in Australia which was essentially a one-hit wonder in the States.  Songwriter Garry Frost was inspired to write the song when he was working with autistic children in his day job, and watched a small boy not being noticed waiting at the lunch counter one day on his lunch break. 
Forever Now by The Psychedelic Furs
Wayne's wraps up our staff picks with a fast paced and much deeper piece from a “second British Invasion” group.  It is about being in the moment and not wanting the time to end - "Let it stay forever now."  Todd Rundgren was producer and a guest musician on this album, and the "wall of sound" approach has Rundgren's imprint.  
INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:
(Anesthesia) - Pulling Teeth by Metallica
A surprisingly early instrumental by the band that would come to define thrash metal in the years to come closes out this episode.  This is off Metallica's debut album.
Thanks for listening to “What the Riff?!?”
NOTE: To adjust the loudness of the music or voices, you may adjust the balance on your device. VOICES are stronger in the LEFT channel, and MUSIC is stronger on the RIGHT channel.
Please follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/whattheriffpodcast/, and message or email us with what you'd like to hear, what you think of the show, and any rock-worthy memes we can share.
Of course we'd love for you to rate the show in your podcast platform!
**NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rights to any of these songs and we neither sell, nor profit from them. We share them so you can learn about them and purchase them for your own collections.

This week we introduce you to the debut album from a 24 year-old lad from Wales.  Thomas John Woodward - today Sir Thomas John Woodward - is better known as Tom Jones. He got his start as the front man for a beat group called Tommy Scott and the Senators, but they really didn't go anywhere beyond South Wales.  Gordo Mills became his manager, took him to London, and renamed him Tom Jones after the Academy Award winning film of the same name released in 1963.
Jones' first hit would be the one for which he is always remembered.  "It's Not Unusual" went to number 1 in the UK within a month of its release, and it went to number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 when released in America.  Mills and Les Reed worked quickely with Jones to get an album out to take advantage of the quick success, and the result is this album - Along Came Jones.  Jones would have only moderate success with the rest of the songs on the album, but would see more fame when he recorded songs from movies, including "What's New Pussycat," by Burt Bacharach, and the theme song to the James Bond film "Thunderball."
Tom Jones is synonymous with Las Vegas, and he spend a good bit of time there almost from the beginning.  His first stint was at the Flamingo in 1967.  He made a lot of money in club performances in Vegas rather than in extensive recording.  After moderate success with his first few albums, Mills directed Jones more in the direction of the crooner we know today.
We hope you enjoy this early foray into this iconic singer.
 
I've Got A Heart
This is the opening track on the album, and a very positive song.  The boy is singing about having "a heart that really needs somebody, " and "a mind to keep her, to hold her tight, oh yeah, yeah, yeah."  Not the most sophisticated lyrics you will encounter, but it is early in the rock era after all..
Whatcha Gonna Do
The album was a mix of cover songs and songs written for Jones, and this is one of the covers.  Originally written by American blues and rock singer Chuck Willis, it cautions against running around on your girl. 
The Rose
Gordon Mills wrote this song for Jones.  It is basically the knights errand to win his love by finding the rose of love.  "For my true love I yearn, but I'll never, ever return till I find where that red lady grows."
It's Not Unusual
This is where it all started for Tom Jones.  Gordon Mills and Les Reed wrote this song which was released in February 1965, and it entered the charts the week it was released.  It was number 1 on the UK charts a month later, and would define Tom Jones' career.
 
ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:
What's New Pussycat?  by Burt Bacharach (from the motion picture What's New Pussycat?)
Woody Allen's first screenplay would become this comedy film.  Peter Sellers and Peter O'Toole starred in this movie.  Tom Jones would achieve success from singing this song for the soundtrack as well.
 
STAFF PICKS:
I'll Keep Holding On by The Marvelettes
Rob starts off our staff picks with this female Motown act.  They were the first successful Motown act after The Miracles.  This song was written by Mickey Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter, and peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100.  The original members were  Gladys Horton,  Katherine Anderson, Georgeanna Tillman, Juanita Cowart Motley, and  Wanda Young.  Young is on lead for this one.
Help Me Rhonda by The Beach Boys
Brian brings us a well known surfing standard and rebound song.  This song has guitarist Al Jardine on lead vocals, and Glen Campbell was playing lead guitar as a session musician.  Darryl Dragon (aka The Captain from Captain & Tennille ) is also playing on this track.  
Take a Heart by The Sorrows
Wayne's staff pick is the title track off the debut album from “Freakbeat” band The Sorrows.  One of the most aggressive R&B bands of their time, The Sorrows were known for their fast guitar solos and thudding drums.  They never achieved much success, perhaps because their style of music was just ahead of its time.  The song itself cautions against breaking hearts and turnabout.
Feeling Good by Nina Simone
Bruce's staff pick is a song from Broadway recorded by Nina Simone in 1965.  It was not released as a single at the time, but has seen a resurgence recently in period pieces and commercials.
 
INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:
No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach's In) by the T-Bones
This instrumental drew its inspiration from an Alka-Seltzer commercial and was recorded by Dave Pell and members of The Wrecking Crew.
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**NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rights to any of these songs and we neither sell, nor profit from them. We share them so you can learn about them and purchase them for your own collections.

When you think of the greatest live albums of all time, the one at - or very near - the top of the list will be Frampton Comes Alive!, the double album that was the best selling album of 1976, and Rolling Stone magazine's choice for "Album of the Year."  While Peter Frampton was well known in rock circles for his guitar work and his previous stints with Humble Pie and the Herd, his solo work was catapulted into the stratosphere with this live album.
Much of the album was recorded in the summer and fall of 1975 at Winterland in San Francisco and the Long Island area of New York.  In addition to Peter Frampton on lead vocals, guitar and "talk box,"  musicians included Bob Mayo on rhythm guitar, keyboards, and vocals; Stanley Sheldon on bass and vocals; and John Siomos on drums.
Frampton left Humble Pie in 1971 when the group began  to move towards a harder sound that didn't fit his style.  After many years and four studio albums as a soloist, Peter Frampton has achieved some modest success.  However, Frampton Comes Alive would change all that, not only by being the best selling album of 1976, but having so much staying power that it would be the 14th best selling album of 1977.  It would also result in an invitation for Frampton and manager Dee Anthony to President Gerald Ford's White House at the insistence of Steven Ford, the President's son. 
 
Something's Happening
This track leads off the album.  It originally appeared on his third studio album, also entitled "Something's Happening."  The energy of the album is obvious from the introduction on through, and the album does an excellent job balancing both the musical quality and the energy of the crowd.
Doobie Wah
Also originally on his third studio album, this tune feels a lot like the Doobie Brothers.  This deeper cut is a funky jam.  "Do what everybody says is wrong, I don't believe nobody takes too long.  Changing your mind, well now, let me up.  I don't believe that kind would drink my cup."
Show Me the Way
Now, this one has received considerable air play, and you can hear a little of Frampton's "talk box" in it.  It is the first single released from the album.  The lyrics are a man seeking guidance like a drowning person seeking a life preserver. 
Baby, I Love Your Way
Another popular cut from the album, this romantic cut features acoustic guitars and a mellow keyboard part.  The lyrics describe a man wanting to spend every moment with his love.  This song has been successfully covered by Will to Power and Big Mountain.
 
ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:
Get the Funk Out Ma Face The Brothers Johnson (from the motion picture “Mother, Jugs and Speed”
This comedy starred Bill Cosby (Mother), Raquel Welch (Jugs), and Harvey Keitel (Speed) as employees of an ambulance service.
 
STAFF PICKS:
Takin' It To the Streets by the Doobie Brothers
Bruce starts the staff picks with the first single from the album of the same name.  This is the first Doobie Brothers song with Michael McDonald on lead.  McDonald wrote the lyrics to this song inspired by a college essay from his sister Maureen, and the lyrics are from the perspective of a person living in poverty in the inner city. 
Let Your Love Flow by the Bellamy Brothers
Rob features a country/rock crossover written by Larry Williams in 1975.  The Bellamy brothers were session musicians from Tampa, and covered this song after Neil Diamond passed on it.  It made number 2 on the adult contemporary charts and number 21 on the country charts.  "Let your love flow like the mountain streams."  
E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) by Blue Oyster Cult
Wayne's staff pick rocks out on this tune from BOC's album "Agents of Fortune."  The lyrics describe a search for UFO's and extraterrestrials in a stream-of-consciousness style.  
Strange Magic by Electric Light Orchestra
Brian's pick finishes off our staff picks with a softer piece from Jeff Lynne and E.L.O. off the album "Face the Music."  The song is about a captivating woman in a trippy style with the strings you have come to expect from E.L.O.
   
INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:
Breezin' by George Benson
George Benson's album of the same name won multiple Grammys and became one of the best selling jazz albums of all time.  This instrumental number leads off the album.
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**NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rights to any of these songs and we neither sell, nor profit from them. We share them so you can learn about them and purchase them for your own collections.

Dream Police is the fourth and most successful studio album from Cheap Trick.  It hit number 6 on the Billboard 200 Album chart, and was certified platinum only a few months after its release.  Robin Zander (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Rick Nielsen (lead guitar, backing vocals), Tom Petersson (bass, backing vocals), and Bun. E. Carlos (percussion) would get more complex on this album, incorporating orchestration and lengthening the tracks.
Cheap Trick formed in 1973 by Tom Petersson and Rick Nielsen, and this album’s line up is the original members.  Dream Police was completed and ready to release in early 1979, but the group decided to delay the release due to the success of their live album “Cheap Trick at Budokan.” Cheap Trick had a big following in Japan, and that energy really shows on the live album.
Cheap Trick has a feel somewhere between new wave and rock, and their hits are spread out fairly evenly on their albums.  In this case, there are two hits, the title track and "Voices," and the rest of the album would be deeper cuts.  This makes this album an enjoyable one to hear from start to finish.
Cheap Trick was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.
Dream Police
The title track and lead song off the album reached the top 30 on the charts, all the way to number 26.  Songwriter and guitarist Rick Nielsen describes the song as part "Big Brother is watching you" and part trying to capture a deep thought from R.E.M. sleep.
Way of the World
One of the more orchestral tracks, this song was co-written by Zander and Nielsen.  It was released as a single, but didn't get much airplay.  The orchestration reminded all of us of E.L.O.  
I'll Be With You Tonight
A deep track off the album, this song was co-written by the entire band.  It has a classic "Cheap Trick" feel to it, that you would recognize as the band even if you hadn't heard it before.  
Voices
This song was the second single released from the album in December, and reached number 32.  When it was originally recorded, bassist Tom Petersson sang lead, but it was re-recorded for the album with Robin Zander on lead.  Many vocals are layered in on this track, and session guitarist and Toto band member Steve Lukather plays on this track.
 
ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:
Rainbow Connection by Kermit (from the motion picture “The Muppet Movie”)
Kermit, Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, and the rest of the Muppets made their big screen debut with this hit movie.
 
STAFF PICKS:
This Is It by Kenny Loggins
Bruce's staff pick moved from a love song to a more spiritual thing when Loggins' father faced a serious health issue.  Loggins' lyrics reflected a person who is suffering through pain, looking for a miracle, and needs to "stand up and fight."  Michael McDonald co-wrote the song and his distinctive voice is easy to pick up as backing vocals.  It reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won a Grammy Award.
An American Dream (featuring Linda Ronstadt) by the Dirt Band
Wayne features the group formerly known as the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, dealing with the issue of wanting to go to Jamaica and not having the money to live so richly.  Rodney Crowell originally wrote this song in 1978, and The Dirt Band would take it to number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 as a cover.
We Don't Talk by Cliff Richard
Brian's staff pick is a synth-heavy breakup song from UK superstar Cliff Richard.  Richard became a Christian in the 60's, and releases a Christmas song every December which is usually a top 20 song in the UK.  This is Richard's biggest selling song globally.
Tusk by Fleetwood Mac
Rob brings us the title track from Fleetwood Mac's follow-up to the highly successful Rumors album.  This song is famous for utilizing the USC Trojan marching band, setting a record for the most number of musicians performing on a single.
 
COMEDY TRACK:
Money by The Flying Lizards
This spoken word novelty song picks up where the Beatles left off on this Motown song.
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**NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rights to any of these songs and we neither sell, nor profit from them. We share them so you can learn about them and purchase them for your own collections.

The Standells were a Los Angeles garage band formed in the early 60's, often referred to as an early punk band.  The lineup was Larry Tamblyn on organ and vocals, Tony Valentino on guitar, Gary Lane on bass, and former Mouseketeer Dick Dodd on drums and lead vocals.  The name came from Tamblyn and Valentino, and referenced their standing around booking agents, trying to get a job.
The group made use of their Los Angeles roots by appearing in several low budget films in the 1960's including “Get Yourself a College Girl” in 1964 and the cult classic “Riot on Sunset Strip” in 1967.  They also appeared on the television series “The Munsters” as themselves in the episode “Far Out Munster.”  They also appeared on The Bing Crosby Show under a pseudonym “The Love Bugs.”  
The Live Ones EP was recorded in March 1966, and showcases both the sound and the attitude of The Standells.  The songs are short like most songs of the era, and make extensive use of the organ in the music. 
The Standells big hit was “Dirty Water,” a reference to Boston Harbor and Charles River which was notorious for its pollution at the time.  Their first major gig was at The Oasis in Honolulu, which may explain the surfer influence.  In 1966, The Standells toured with The Rolling Stones.
The Standells continue to perform today, though the lineup has changed over time.
Mr. Nobody
This song is about a guy hitting on the author's girlfriend.  He isn't having any of it.  “So you can take your fancy car and drive away real far.  The world is full of nobodies like you are.”
Why Pick On Me?
If you've ever been attracted to a flirtatious girl who is there one moment and gone the next, you can identify with this tune.  The lyrics that bring it home are, “candy kisses don't mean a thing if only flies those kisses bring.”
Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White
This track references the contrast between blue collar workers and white collar workers. When white collar workers thumb their nose at blue collar workers, sometimes the good guy isn't the one wearing white! “Everyday I work Hard.  At night I spend restless time.  Those rich kids and all their lazy money, they can't hold a candle to mine.”
Gloria
The Standells covered this garage band standard by Van Morrison and his band Them.  Many bands covered this song, perhaps the most popular of these covers was done by The Doors.
 
ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:
“Born Free” by Matt Monro (Main Theme to the motion picture “Born Free”)
This movie was released in March 1966, and told the tale of a couple who raised a lion cub and released it back into the wild.
 
STAFF PICKS:
Batman by Jan and Dean
Rob starts our staff picks with a cover from the campy cult classic superhero show of the 60's.  A number of groups covered the song from the television show.  Jan and Dean were football players who met while singing in the shower after practice and decided to form a band.  They had a number of surfer inspired hits at the time.
I Fought The Law by The Bobby Fuller Four
Bruce's staff pick is a song covered by The Clash in 1978. The Bobby Fuller Four had success covering this song in 1966, but the original goes back to 1959 when Sonny Curtis recorded it with the Crickets after he took the place of the late Buddy Holly.  Just six months after the song hit the charts, Bobby Fuller was found dead from asphyxiation in his mother's car.  The death was ruled a suicide, but many believe he was murdered. 
The Ballad of the Green Berets by Staff Sargent Barry Sadler
Brian's staff pick is a positive, popular patriotic song.  This would prove an unusual popular song as the protest song became more entrenched in rock music.  This was the number 1 song of 1966.  Barry Sadler released an album by the end of the year, though none of his other songs would prove as popular. 
I Spy (for the FBI)  by Jamo Thomas
Wayne's closes out our staff picks this week with a Chicago group taking a Motown feel.  It peaked at number 98 in the US, though it did slightly better in the UK.      
 
INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:
Hi Heel Sneaker by the Ramsey Lewis Trio
We close out this episode with a jazzy number from Chicago-based Ramsey Lewis.
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**NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rights to any of these songs and we neither sell, nor profit from them. We share them so you can learn about them and purchase them for your own collections.

Although they had been steadily growing in popularity since their debut in the mid-70's, Dire Straits would become a household name with their fifth studio album, Brothers In Arms.  Between the catchy hooks accessible on both rock and adult contemporary radio, and the video-driven appeal of the group on MTV, DIre Strats became an arena group in 1985.
This album found Dire Straits composed of John Illsley on bass, Terry Williams on drums, Alan Clark on piano and organ, Guy Fletcher on synthesizer, and of course the primary driver, songwriter, and co-producer for the album was Mark Knopfler.  Additionally, Jazz drummer Omar Hakim was brought in to re-record much of the percussion work, though Williams remained the drummer for the band.
Knopfler was quite the perfectionist when it came to sound, and this album would be the first to be recorded entirely digitally.  It is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the first compact disc to sell a million copies.
The success Dire Straits had with this album may have led to the groups undoing.  Knopfler was uncomfortable with the fame, thinking that people were coming to the shows for the celebrity rather than the music.  The group would take a hiatus following the "Brothers In Arms" tour, and would produce one more studio album before disbanding.  Knopfler would go on to produce solo work as well as collaborate with other artists including Eric Clapton , Thomas Dolby, and Bob Dylan.  Dire Straits was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.
 
So Far Away
This is the opening track on the album and the lead single in the UK, released in April of 1985, ahead of the album.  It would be the third single in the US where it hit number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100.  It is about carrying on a long-distance relationship.
Your Latest Trick
A melancholy deep cut, this song features Randy Brecker on trumpet and Michael Brecker on saxophone.  It is clearly referencing prostitution, but it has a feel of loneliness and emptiness.  Some say it is about a relationship and some say it is about society in general.  The night is over, everyone is going home, and the guy is left alone wondering what happened.
One World
Another deep cut, and more blues-oriented.  "Can't get no remedy on my TV, it's nothing but the same old news.  Well, they can't find a way to be one world in harmony.  Can't get no antidote for blues."  Tony Levin was brought in to play bass on this one. 
Walk of Life
This hit almost didn't make the album.  Co-producer Neil Dorfsman voted against its being included, but the band outvoted him.  It made it to number 7 on the US charts, and was one of their biggest commercial hits in the UK, peaking at number 2 there.  It is about the street musicians in London playing standards in the subways.
 
ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:
This is Not America by Pat Metheny and David Bowie (from the motion picture The Falcon and the Snowman)
This show about American kids turned Soviet spies was in the theaters in February 1985, and this song was on the charts in May.
 
STAFF PICKS:
Obsession by Animotion
Wayne kicks off our staff picks with a synth pop hit that was a staple of every dance floor in 1985.  Animotion covered this song, originally performed by Holly Knight and Michael Des Barres in 1983.  The song was developed at first thinking about the obsession of drugs, but it transformed into an obsession with a person when it was done. 
Smuggler's Blues by Glenn Frey
Brian's staff pick was well known at the time from Miami Vice.  "You be cool for 20 hours and I'll pay you 20 grand."  One of the things that made Miami Vice such a popular draw was its use not just of cool actors in Miami, but also using cameos from the music world.  Glenn Frey appeared as a smuggler in the episode where "Smuggler's Blues" was played.
Sussudio by Phil Collins
Rob's staff pick is the lead track from Collins' third solo album "No Jacket Required."  The drum machine and horns made this a polarizing song, with lots of people loving it and lots hating it.  It was a big hit in the summer of 1985, and Phil Collins has mentioned that this song is the one most often sung to him when strangers approach.
Marlene on the Wall by Suzanne Vega
Bruce closes out the staff picks with a song inspired by Marlene Dietrich.  Singer songwriter Suzanne Vega heard Dietrich responding to a controversial statement, "You have lead many men to death with your body." with the perfect response, "Give me a kiss."  This was the lead track off Vega's debut album, dealing with loneliness and a strained relationship.
 
INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:
The Lady In My Life by Stanley Jordan
Jazz guitarist Stanley Jordan covers a deep cut from Michael Jackson's Thriller album to close out this week's podcast.
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**NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rights to any of these songs and we neither sell, nor profit from them. We share them so you can learn about them and purchase them for your own collections.

Quick!  Name a song by Steely Dan.  Chances are good that the song you picked is off this sixth studio album, the iconic Aja.  Steely Dan had already become a successful jazz rock group by this time, but Donald Fagen and Walter Becker created their most successful album by far with this one.
By the time this album was produced, the group had been reduced to the duo who were responsible for the lion's share of the music.  Fagen and Becker assembled a large group of session musicians to make this album, including well known vocalists like Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers and Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles.  
Donald Fagen has said that the album name was inspired by a high school friend whose Korean wife’s name was Aja.   
Many consider this album and Gaucho, the following Steely Dan studio album, to be two of the founding albums to a genre that would become known as yacht rock.  However, the heart of this music is undoubtedly jazz.
 
Black Cow
The album starts with this song which has been interpreted a lot of ways, from a commentary on a troubled relationship to self-doubt, to  a track inspired by Thelonious Monk.  The song describes a girl sitting at a counter, and a Black Cow is a fountain drink like a Coke float.
Deacon Blues
The opening lines describing the "expanding man" may have been inspired from sci-fi author Alfred Brester's 1950's novel "The Demolished Man."  The song itself is about having a name for the nerds and the losers of the world, and compares football powerhouse Alabama and their name as "the Crimson Tide," to the proposed name for the loser.  Becker and Fagen considered this song somewhat autobiographical.
Peg
This track features backing vocals from Michael McDonald.  The song is about an actress in a photo shoot being promised fame.  While some speculated that the song referenced Broadway and Hollywood star Peg Entwistle, Donald Fagen stated that "we just wanted a dotted half note for that spot and Peg was short enough to fit with the music."  
Josie
This song finishes off the album and is a bit more influenced by Delta blues than the more jazzy tracks on the album.  This may be because the song was written well before the rest of the recordings for Aja.  The song tells about a popular girl from a blue collar town, who always creates excitement when she returns to town.  Timothy B. Schmit plays bass and is on background vocals for this track.
 
ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:
“The Lonely Man” - theme from the television series “The Incredible Hulk”
Long before the MCU, we were introduced to David Banner in this weekly show, who struggled to escape the curse of turning into the Hulk when he became angry.  Bill Bixby played David Banner, and Lou Ferrigno became famous as the green-muscled Hulk.
 
STAFF PICKS:
“Free 'n' Easy” by Uriah Heep
Wayne's rocking staff pick highlights an underrated prog rock/heavy metal group.  This is not a single, but a deep cut off Uriah Heep's eleventh album.  
“Baby What a Big Surprise” by Chicago
Rob brings us this well known tune with Peter Cetera taking his turn as lead vocalist of Chicago.  Cetera was attempting to repeat the success of "If You Leave Me Now" with this song.  Interestingly, this song is the only one on the album Chicago XI to feature Cetera on lead vocals.  
“I Know a Little” by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Bruce's staff pick was written by guitarist Steve Gaines, and features his talented picking.  This song is off the last Skynyrd album before the plane crash that killed several band members including front man Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines.  Gaines had just joined the band, so this would be his first and last studio album as a member of Lynyrd Skynyrd.
“Cold As Ice” by Foreigner
Brian's pick is a great tragic song about a materialistic woman who will some day face the consequences of her selfish ways.  This is off Foreigner's debut and self-titled album.
   
INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:
“The Entertainer” by Scott Joplin
Billy Dee Williams starred in the biographical film "Scott Joplin," which was released in November 1977.
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Today the Red Hot Chili Peppers are a well known by all as one of the alternative rock founders, and that fame began with Blood Sugar Sex Magik, their fifth studio album.  This was the first album created under their new Warner Brothers label, and was recorded at the Houdini mansion in Los Angeles.  Front man Anthony Kiedis, guitarist John Frusciante, and bassist Flea moved into the former house of Harry Houdini for the duration of the recording session, but drummer Chad Smith did not.  Kiedis claims that Smith wouldn't stay in the house because he thought it was haunted, through Smith denies this.
Flea and Kiedis met in high school during a brawl, and eventually decided to form a band.  The original lineup consisted of Hillel Slovak on guitar and Jack Irons on drums.  Slovak died of a drug overdose after the group's third album, replaced by Frusciante.  Irons left the group in reaction to Slovak's death, not wanting to be in a group where his friends were dying.  Irons would be replaced by Chad Smith.  Unfortunately, drug use and abuse would plague the group long after Slovak's overdose.
The band's fourth album entitled Mother's Milk would become a success, with the single cover of Stevie Wonder's “Higher Ground”  leading to mainstream interest.
While Blood Sugar Sex Magik was the start of mainstream popularity for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, it would mark the end for guitarist John Frusciante.  Frusciante enjoyed being in the underground music scene, and hated the popularity the group was experiencing.  He left the group in 1992 in the middle of their world tour.  Frusciante would eventually rejoin the group in 1998.
Under the Bridge
This is the track that put the Red Hot Chili Peppers on the mainstream map. Anthony Kiedis wrote this song about the hopelessness and loneliness he felt as a result of dependence on narcotics.  He was reluctant to share the lyrics with the group, because he didn't think it fit well with the rest of their repertoire.  However, the group took it in and it became a big breakthrough hit for them.
Give It Away
The first single from the album originated in an ongoing jam session between John Frusciante and bassist Flea.  The lyrics were inspired by selflessness that Kiedis observed from his girlfriend when she gave away clothes in her closet that Kiedis liked.  The idea of giving things away was new to him, as he expected from his upbringing that you had to take what you wanted, because no one would give it to you.
If You Have to Ask
This is a deeper cut from the album, with a funky guitar intro and stream-of-consciousness rap lyrics.
Breaking the Girl
The fourth single from the album was inspired by the turbulent relationship between Anthony Kiedis and his former girlfriend, Carmen Hawk.  Frusciante wrote the music under inspiration from Led Zeppelin's "The Battle of Evermore."  The video features a cameo by River Phoenix, and features guitarist Arik Marshall on guitar.  Marshall briefly replaced Frusciante, though he did not play on the track itself.  
 
ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:
Theme from the animated television series “X-Men”
The animated series for Marvel's X-Men premiered in October of 1991, ushering in a new era of superhero cartoons.
 
STAFF PICKS:
Rush by Big Audio Dynamite II
Wayne starts the staff picks with the second iteration of a group headed by Mick Jones of The Clash after leaving that group.  The song mixes disparate styles and samples, including The Who's "Baba O'Riley."   "Somehow  I stayed thin while other guys got fat."
Dreamline by Rush
Bruce's staff pick is the lead track from Rush's Roll the Bones.  Dreamline is about being young and ready to test your mettle against the world, "learning that we're only immortal for a limited time."
Shiny Happy People by R.E.M. 
Brian features Athens, Georgia's favorite sons playing a piece inspired by a line from Chinese propaganda posters, “shiny happy people holding hands.”  It was used ironically, as this was only two years after the Tiananmen Square crackdown in which hundreds were killed. Kate Pierce of the B-52's, another Athens band, joins for the female vocals.
Hole Hearted by Extreme
Rob finishes out the staff picks with an acoustic driven song with great harmonies off the fourth single from Exreme's Pornograffiti.  Nuno Bettencourt wrote this - on the toilet - when he got his first 12-string.  Led Zeppelin's third album was an inspiration.    
 
INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:
Wham! by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
This blues instrumental is off "The Sky Is Crying," a compilation of songs released in November of 1991 after the death of Stevie Ray Vaughan.
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**NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rights to any of these songs and we neither sell, nor profit from them. We share them so you can learn about them and purchase them for your own collections.

Damn the Torpedoes is the third studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and is the album where the group truly broke out into serious commercial success.  They had done well with their first album, with "Breakdown" breaking into the top 40, and "American Girl" receiving some air play.  But this album took the group to a different level.  Damn the Torpedoes was their first top 10 album, peaking at number 2 on the Billboard album charts for 7 weeks.  They were unfortunately kept out of the number 1 slot by the release of Pink Floyd's The Wall.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are Mike Campbell on guitars and keyboards, Benmont Tench on keyboards and backing vocals, Ron Blair on bass, Stan Lynch on drums and backing vocals, and of course Tom Petty on lead, rhythm guitar, and harmonica.  Petty also produced the album.
Damn the Torpedoes takes its name from Admiral Farragut's famous Civil War quote, but also reflects an attitude that the band was feeling.  At the time ABC Records was their distributor and assigned the contract to MCA.  Petty said that they couldn't assign the contract without permission.  MCA sued, and Petty declared bankruptcy as a strategic move to keep MCA at bay.  They finally settled by signing a new contract with Backstreet Records, which was an MCA subsidiary.
The times were good for Petty's style of throwback rock and roll.  Disco was quite commercial and beginning to wane, and New Wave was just beginning its run.  MTV would also be a couple of years in the future.  The rock world was starved of solid rock and roll, and Petty was ready to step into the void with tight, radio-friendly singles
We think this album is a winner, but as you know, even the losers get lucky sometimes!
 
Refugee
This is the second single from the album, released in January 1980.  It went to number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Petty and Mike Campbell wrote this, and it was one of the first songs Campbell wrote.  The song reflects the band's reaction to the pressures of the music business, and the struggle they had with MCA.
What Are You Doin' In My Life?
A deeper cut, this track is about a stalker girl that the guy can't make go away.  "Well, you're the last woman in the world that thrills me.  Now you got my girlfriend trying to kill me.  Honey, my friends think that I've gone crazy.  Can't you figure out that you ain't my baby?"
Even The Losers
Believe it or not, this was not released as a single on the album outside of Australia.  There's a story behind this song.  Petty had a crush on a girl named Cindy in junior high school.  Years later in Gainesville, Florida, he hooked up with Cindy.  The next morning, Cindy told him their relationship consisted of only that night.  During that night, Petty realized that he needed to be in a rock and roll band, and this song sums up that night.
Don't Do Me Like That
This is the first single from the album.  Petty wrote the song back in 1974 with a band called Mudcrutch.  This was Petty's first top 10 hit, reaching number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.  The singer relays the story of a friend who got his heart broken, and asks that his girlfriend not do the same.  I really like the sound of the organ on this piece.
 
ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:
The Rose by Bette Midler (Main Theme from the motion picture The Rose)
The song was a huge hit for Midler.  She played the main character, Mary Rose Foster, in this movie loosely based on the life of Janis Joplin.
 
STAFF PICKS:
You're Only Lonely by JD Souther
Rob starts off the staff picks with a track  from Detroit born, Amarillo raised JD Souther.  His former roommate, Glenn Frey, sings backup on this song, along with Phil Everly and Jackson Browne.  JD Souther co-wrote a number of songs for the Eagles, which explains why this song may have a bit of an Eagles sound to it. 
Driver's Seat by Sniff N' The Tears
Wayne's brings us a one hit wonder.  It maintains a simple chord structure throughout, but builds in intensity as the song progresses.  Although we think of it as a driving song, the lyrics are really about disjointed feelings following a breakup, and not understanding how things would be over with someone you had been with so long.
Good Girls Don't by The Knack
Brian's staff pick was the follow-up to the massive hit "My Sharona."  Lead man Doug Fieger wrote this song in 1972, but couldn't get anyone to pick it up at the time.  He hated it by the time The Knack tried it, and they got it right in one take. 
Jane by Jefferson Starship
Bruce brings us a hit from Jefferson Starship while Georgia native Mickey Thomas was front man.  It peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Bassist David Freiberg wrote the lyrics (along with Jim McPherson) inspired by an old girlfriend.
 
INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:
Is There Anybody Out There by Pink Floyd
When The Wall kept Damn the Torpedoes stuck at number two, Tom Petty told Westwood One, "I love Pink Floyd but I hated them that year."
Thanks for listening to “What the Riff?!?”
NOTE: To adjust the loudness of the music or voices, you may adjust the balance on your device. VOICES are stronger in the LEFT channel, and MUSIC is stronger on the RIGHT channel.
Please follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/whattheriffpodcast/, and message or email us with what you'd like to hear, what you think of the show, and any rock-worthy memes we can share.
Of course we'd love for you to rate the show in your podcast platform!
**NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rights to any of these songs and we neither sell, nor profit from them. We share them so you can learn about them and purchase them for your own collections.